1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a connecting structure and a connecting method of a flat circuit body and a terminal in which the terminal is crimped to connect to a flat conductor of the flat circuit body which is formed to a planar wiring member by covering at least one side of surfaces of a plurality of flat conductors, which are separated at a predetermined interval and arranged into a planar shape, with insulating layers.
2. Description of the Related Art
A wiring member which has flexibility such as an FPC (that is, Flexible Printed Circuit), an FFC (that is, Flexible Flat Cable) or a ribbon electric wire corresponds to the flat circuit body.
FIGS. 29 to 31 show a conventional example of a connecting method of a flat circuit body and a terminal. The connecting method of a flat circuit body and a terminal is disclosed in PTL 1.
A flat circuit body 110 used in the connecting method of PTL 1 includes a plurality of flat conductors 111 which are separated at a predetermined interval and arranged into a planar shape, and insulating layers 112 which cover the flat conductors 111, and is formed to a planar wiring member, as shown in FIG. 29.
A terminal 120 which is crimped to connect to the flat circuit body 110 is a press formed member which is made of a metal plate. The terminal 120 includes a bottom plate 121a on which the flat circuit body 110 is mounted and crimp claws 121b which are raised at two side edges of the bottom plate 121a, in a circuit body connecting part 121 which is crimped to connect to the flat conductors 111 of the flat circuit body 110, as shown in FIG. 29. The bottom plate 121a is formed into a belt shape whose width w2 is narrower than a width w1 of the flat conductors 112 in the flat circuit body 110. The distal end of the crimp claw 121b is formed into a pointed shape so that the flat conductor 111 of the flat circuit body 110 is penetrated to become a skewered state.
In the connecting method disclosed in the PTL 1, as shown in FIG. 30, the above-mentioned flat circuit body 110 is located between an anvil 131 and a crimper 132 which are placed to be opposed. A pressing plate 133 is placed on the top surface of the flat circuit body 110 which faces the crimper 132. In the pressing plate 133, claw through holes 133b are formed in a flat board-like plate body 133a which presses the top surface of the flat circuit body 110. The claw through holes 133b are through holes into which the crimp claws 121b of the terminal 120 supported on the anvil 131 can be inserted as shown in FIG. 30.
By pushing up the bottom plate 121a of the terminal 120 with the anvil 131 to insert the distal ends of the crimp claws 121b through the claw through holes 133b of the pressing plate 133, a state is reached that the crimp claws 121b penetrate through the insulating layer 112 and the flat conductor 111 of the flat circuit body 110. When the crimp claws 121b penetrate through the flat conductor 111, the crimp claws 121b and the flat conductor 111 are in a contact state, and the flat circuit body 110 and the terminal 120 are in an electrically connected state.
Then, as shown in FIG. 31, a state is reached that the pressing plate 133 is removed from the space between the flat circuit body 110 and the crimper 132. Then, by pushing the bottom plate 121a of the terminal 120 to the side of the crimper 132 with the anvil 131, the distal ends of the crimp claws 121b which penetrate through the flat circuit body 110 are pressed to curved recesses 132a for claw forming of the crimper 132. When the distal ends of the crimp claws 121b are pressed to the crimper 132m to be curved to the top surface side of the flat circuit body 110 so that the distal ends of the crimp claws 121b reach a state of being cut into the top surface of the flat circuit body 110, the crimping of the crimp claws 121b is completed.
By completing the crimping of the crimp claws 121b, the terminal 120 is crimped to the flat conductor 111.